Law and Order
by Espeon Man
Summary: Before Mewt ruled over Ivalice, there was another royal family, and there was more than one Grimoire. The Judgemaster wasn't always Cid, It was a boy. A boy, who, remarkably, was one of Marche's closest friends. This is his story.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people, I've really been into playing this lately, so I thought I'd try one. **

**I know there's a TV show called this, but the title fits, and it's nothing like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FFTA, there is no copyright infringement.**

**Enjoy.  
**

"Hey!" The voice tore through Zack's sleep, and he shifted under the covers.

"Hey! Zack!" grumbling, he sat up, and wandered over to the window. Standing outside on the lawn was his best friend, Marche.

"About time, Sleepyhead!" he grinned, and called, "meet ya' down there!"

Zack threw on a T shirt and shorts and rushed downstairs, pausing only to grab a piece of toast.

"Have fun, dear!" his mom called from the kitchen, but he was already out the door.

Zack skidded to a halt outside the door, and Marche tossed a practice sword to him.

"Alright," Zack said, as they went over to the field where they always spar, "since this is your last day here, I'm determined to make the score even."

He nodded solemnly, "yeah, I know, but moving won't be so bad, I'll send you an email the moment I get to St. Ivalice."

"Ok," he agreed, he put on his helmet, and they started fighting. Marche had 169 wins, 158 losses, and 35 ties due to someone interrupting the fight.

Zack blocked a stab and answered with one of his own, but he hit air. Marche was already behind him, and Zack spun around, too late.

he ran right into his friend's sword, positioned near his neck.

"170 wins." Marche said triumphantly, lowering his blade.

Without warning, he attacked, and the battle raged on. By 3:00, Zack's score was 172 wins and 190 losses.

"Ah well," Zack said, "let's go get some ice cream." Marche agreed, because it was always hot in their town. After that, they went to the movies, and he came over to Zack's house for dinner.

"you're pretty good, Zack." Marche said to him, "you won 14 battles in one day."

"I'm gonna miss you, Marche." they shook hands.

"I'll probably be gone by the time you wake up. So… bye."

Zack watched as he trudged back toward his house.

Up in his room, Zack shifted through the papers on his desk, to reveal a map he had drawn in as a kid. In the lower right corner, there was a big X, his house. Next to that, there was a smaller X, next to a smiley face, and the word, Marche.

Sighing, he crumpled up the paper, and threw it into the trash bin.

**The Next Day**

Zack sat on his bed, and looked over at his computer, _maybe Marche sent me an email…_

He sat down in front of it and opened his account. "You've got mail!" chimed the computer. It was from Marche.

It read,

_Hey, Zack. Doned got worse today, we had to take him to the hospital, but he turned out ok. Guess what? My new friend Mewt showed me this book he bought today, it had some almost magical stuff in it. Here, take a look._

Attached to the email was a picture of the book. Zack squinted at the pages, and could just make out a few words. "Alta Oron, Sondas Kameela… Now that's weird."

He typed in, _sounds cool, what are your friends like?_ sent it, and shut down the computer.

He turned on his Game Cube and started playing Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

The time passed, and Zack looked over at his clock, 6:30. He began to concentrate on the game again.

The book began to creep back into his thoughts, until he couldn't resist his curiosity. He turned off the game and headed downstairs.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you drive me somewhere?"

"Sure, where?"

"The used book store."

"Hello," Zack said to the guy behind the desk, "Do you have anything like this?" he put his laptop on the desk, showing the book.

The guy's eyes widened, he even cleaned his glasses and examined the screen again. "I didn't think another one existed." he muttered.

"So do you have it?"

The man disappeared into the back room, Zack could hear him muttering to himself as he picked out numerous books and put them back in their places.

Finally, he came back, holding a huge tome. "Now let me warn you, this book is not cheap."

"How much?"

"$750"

"What?" Zack exclaimed, grabbing on to the desk.

"This is no ordinary book." the man explained, "it has been around for centuries, and is rumored to have magical powers."

"Please! Just let me look at it!"

The man sighed, "I know I'm going to regret this, but, here." he handed the book over.

Zack ran his hands over the embossed cover and flipped it open. Running his hands along a circle, he turned the page to find a picture of a man in elaborate armor standing beside a huge sword.

_Wow, he looks so cool. I wish I could be like that…_

"Kid!" the yell jolted Zack out of his thoughts. The book was glowing. With a start, he dropped the book, and backed up. The light was expanding, encasing part of the floor.

The shopkeeper ran, fleeing through the open door, but Zack was paralyzed by fear, and could only watch as the light expanded, encasing his feet, and moving up to his torso, and finally, encasing his head in a brilliant circle. With a final _Whoosh!_ it shot outward, covering everything in light.

**Ok, that's one chapter down, they'll be coming every so often, but I've got more needing completion, so who knows when they'll come out.**

**If you like it, RandR  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, that was quicker than I thought it would be. I've already got a new chapter out. And before I get any reviews about this, Yes, I know this game differs from the original story line.**

Darkness, nothing but darkness. Then, out of nowhere, light, followed by the Grimoire. Zack watched as the book opened, and a voice emanated from it.

"Well, well. My master is naught but a child." it chuckled, causing Zack to shiver.

"What shall I make you? A Nu Mou, perhaps?" Instantly, Zack grew long white fur all over his body, his ears stretched, and his short black hair was replaced with a shock of white.

"No, no, that will never do… Ah, yes! A moogle will do nicely." his white fur was replaced by creamy brown, and his ears stretched over his head. Out of his fur grew a sort of antenna with a red pom pom at the end.

"No, that doesn't suit your occupation, and you are young, so a Bangaa would be wrong… And obviously, you wont make a good Viera… Ah, well, I guess a human will have to do. 'If it aint broke, don't fix it.'

And with another laugh, the book disappeared into the darkness. Once again, Zack's fur shot back into him, to be replaced by skin. His ears shrank, and the pom pom drew itself back into his head, and vanished.

_Boom!_ The floor shook. Zack's eyes shot open, he was sitting on a bed, in what appeared to be a grand bedroom. _How did I get here? What happened to the bookstore? _Another explosion racked the building. Jumping up, he raced out of the room and down the hall.

It led to a balcony, which Zack peered over. The sight shocked him. An Army of lizard-like people, which Zack assumed were Bangaas, seemed to be fighting off an even larger army of assorted humans, nu mous, and vieras. He watched with trepidation as the Bangaas fought, they seemed to be holding off the attackers. Suddenly, a blood curdling howl reverberated across the battlefield. Zack looked up to the hill behind the fighters, to see a single nu mou. Beside it, a huge blue hound.

"They have a beast master!" one of the warriors called, at the sound of his call, chaos reined. Hounds, winged Cyclopes, snake women, and even dragons jumped into battle, and once again, the Bangaas were losing. One of the fighters looked up at the balcony, and a smile spread across his bloody face.

"The Judgemaster's here!" Zack spun around, expecting to see a hero jump into the battle. No one was there. _You've gotta be kidding me._

"Well," Zack said to himself, "this is crazy." he grinned, "But I think I like it. Let's see…" he stuck his hand out, and a humongous sword formed in it. "Awesome." he turned, and with a mighty leap, jumped off the parapet.

On the way down, he felt armor materialize around him. With a crash, he landed on top of an enormous hound. "Oops," he observed, then shrugged, and jumped toward the nearest batch of enemies.

With a single swipe, he sent a viera body flying into her companion, causing an entire line of soldiers to be crushed at once. The Bangaas let out a war cry, faith restored, and began to fight anew, the palace's army rushed forward, trampling whole lines of fighters. Zack was at the front, roaring along with them, and swinging his judge sword. His eye caught a nu mou with a yellow straw hat, muttering words. No sooner than he saw this, when a raging fireball shot from his hand and hit Zack in the chest.

With a _whumph!_ He fell on his back, face stinging from the heat, and armor stained black with ash. Leaping up, he raked the crowd for the mage, but his attention was immediately drawn to a rapier three inches from his head. With a slash of his sword, he cut the blade in two, and drove the hilt into the viera's face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a wall of ice flying towards him, and did the only thing he could. Spinning, he jumped, and split it down the middle.

His jump took him into enemy territory, and below him were nothing but attackers. Lowering his sword so it was beneath him, he landed in the ground, splitting the mage in half. The resulting shock wave cut through a blob of enemies ten feet around him. His Bangaa warriors filled in the empty space, and they pressed on. Having finally recovered from the shock of his arrival, a line of Archers, Hunters, and Snipers opened fire, and arrows fell in a continuous stream, killing many. Dragging an arrow from his left shoulder and shaking away the pain, Zack dodged another volley, the arrows driving his army back.

_I have to deal with those guys!_ A plan formed in his mind, _crazy, but It just might work._ Imitating the nu mou, he whispered what he hoped was the right word, and thrust his hand out.

"Blizzard." nothing happened. Zack was really starting to feel like an idiot when a wall of ice appeared in front of him. He grinned, and with his mind, shot it toward the line of Archers. They scattered, but the wall still clobbered a bunch of them. Zack shot wall after wall up at the archers, until most of them were down, but he had to stop because of his growing exhaustion.

"This really takes a lot out of you." he said during his momentary rest, and then jumped back into the battle. As he chopped a squad into pieces, a ripple of noise ran through the crowd, and everyone stopped fighting. He raised his bloodstained face to a brilliant light on top of the hill, in the center of the setting sun stood a woman. She raised her arms, and the clouds parted to reveal a huge flaming meteor, heading straight toward the armies.

The crowd panicked, and scattered, but Zack stood his ground, and, summoning a gigantic ball of lightning, shot it toward the meteor, It dissipated on contact. "Judgemaster!" the call came from behind him, he turned to see a circle of nu mous, "quickly! Get in the circle!" He obliged, and a glowing red light burned around him. "You are our last hope," one of them called, "rebuild the old order from outside, for the people of Ivalice." that was all he heard before he blacked out.

**Yikes... Poor Zack. I think I made him a little too good, but he'll get worse. So, until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys, I know, it's been like, a year. Sorry about the reeeeeeeally long Hiatus... Just so ya know, I started writing this chapter in first person, then i stopped, so, yeah. **

The sun slunk toward the horizon, bathing the land in a rosy pink, and showering Me in a thousand different hued lights. My eyes fluttered open and I sat up, clutching my head. my armor had partially fallen off, leaving me in a beat up suit of chain mail. My great sword lay in a pile of shards, with only the hilt still intact. I stared at the pile, then grabbed the hilt and stood up. As I stood, I noticed that I had a pack on my back that wasn't there before. _What the Heck?_

I took it off and unzipped it. It was the book! I took it out and stared in wonder. _How did it get here? How did _I_ get here? _An unseen power radiated from the book, telling me to open it. Even the cover made it look powerful. It was embossed with a large circle, and it said in long flowing script: _The Grimoire._ I gulped, and cracked it open. Nothing. I sighed in relief and examined the page. It was blank. My eyebrows met, and I flipped through the pages, starting at the beginning. I was in luck, on the first page was writing! It read:

_**Zack awoke on a bed, in a castle that was coming down around him. He scrambled through the halls, until he came to a balcony. The imposter lord's army was closing in, and the royal force was failing. However, Zack's arrival triggered new hope, even with the showing of a beast master. He fought with tooth and nail, and managed to hold off the forces. However, the castle was already lost. As scores of archers peppered the royal brigade, a lone woman stood on a hill. Calling forth her power, she summoned a meteor shower and sealed the old reign's doom. The mages under contract by the king understood that the end was near, so they combined their last dregs of strength to ensure hope for the kingdom. The fifteen Nu Mous gave their lives to transport the judgemaster away. Later, He awakes in a desert at sunset, and sets off to the west for the nearest town, Baguba Port…**_

_Good idea. _I closed the book, and started trekking toward the setting sun.

My first fifteen minutes in Baguba Port were not as good as I imagined. On my way in, a cart splashed me with water. "Hey!" I yelled, but the cart moogle stuck his tongue out at me and kept moving. Grumbling, I walked farther into town. I walked around, hopelessly lost, people-watching for something to do. The town was filled with moogles, but there were quite a few of other races too.

"great," I muttered to myself, "stuck in a weird world that looks exactly like final fantasy, I lost my armor and sword… and to top it all off, I've got no money! Things can't get any worse no matter-Oof!" I slammed into another human wearing a dark purple cloak and bandana. _Oooooowwww! _

"Whoa, sorry, buddy." he said sheepishly, with a grin.

"I'm ok." well that was a lie. My head hurt like hell. The guy looked at me curiously. "You're new around here, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?" I said, still massaging my aching head.

"I figured," he said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, "Where you from?"

"You've probably never heard of it, what with you being in a video game and all." Great. Now I've done it.

Now the man stared at me with concern, "How hard did I hit you?"

"I'm fine, really, just a little confused."

"Well, let's go to The Golden Gil then, I'd like to hear your story. Drinks are on me."

"Drinks?" I said, backing up, "but you can't give alcohol to people under 21!"

"What? Since when?" Now he just looked at me like I was crazy. Aren't I great at first impressions?

"It's a law!"

His face darkened, "no, the palace wouldn't do that to us, then they'd have a riot on their hands. Here, just come with me and I'll explain everything. I'm Will, by the way, nice to meet you." Horribly confused, I followed him into the pub.

**A week later.**

A fireball smashed into the ground, and Zack weaved around it as he ran toward the bomb. _Slice!_ He slid out behind the bomb, and it fell, one half, then the other.

"Always so dramatic!" Will called, as he leapt around a lamia's claws. Zack grinned as he rushed over to help.

"Aw, come on," he said, as his battle instincts took over. Dodge, stab, cut, deflect, roll. "you gotta admit that was cool, I've always wanted to do that!"

"Still," Will replied, as he ducked just in time to avoid getting a new pair of nostrils from the enraged snake woman. "you're making me look bad!" Zack struck out with his Shortsword, but he missed, and staggered, off balance. Hissing in triumph, the Lamia plunged it's arm down. With a gleam in his eye, Will did a flying leap, cutting both the Lamia's purse and hand off. He grabbed the sack of Gil in midflight, and as he landed, he threw the knife.

With a sick breaking noise, the monster shriveled.

"And you're calling me dramatic."

"The winner is Clan Kupo!" The judge proclaimed. He raised his arm, and the judge points flew through the air. Zack rolled his eyes and caught his.

"Now that guy is dramatic."

"What have you got against judges?" Will asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing much," Zack replied, as the judge vanished, "they just annoy me."

"Well, we'd better get to Cyril today, I don't relish the thought of sleeping in Aisenfield."

"And you're sure your buddies are there? We're not much of a clan by ourselves."

"Positive." Zack eyed him skeptically. "What? You don't trust me?" he said, adopting an innocent face.

"Of course not." Zack said with a grin. "cause you'd pick my pocket if I did."

"You know it!"

That night, Zack took out the Grimoire again. He'd made a habit of reading it, something about it was just so temping he couldn't put it down. He flipped to the third page.

_**After talking with Will, the thief, in the Golden Gil, Zack agreed to join his Clan, Clan Kupo. Little did he know, he was embarking on a journey that would change his life forever. Will told him that they needed to go to Cyril because the rest of the clan was there. So they set off, but their progress was hindered by monsters, and they had several engagements. However, they didn't reach Cyril that day, and had to camp in Aisenfield. Zack still lamented the loss of his full powers, because the castle had fallen, he could no longer be a judgemaster. For the time being, he would have to masquerade as a simple soldier. Still, Zack could feel himself becoming stronger every day, and not just because he was learning new skills. He wondered whether or not to stay here forever…**_

_How does It know all this? It seems to know exactly what I'm thinking all the time!_ sighing, he closed the book and stuffed it back into his bag.

The morning sun was wonderful. Zack stretched, and began to pack up his tent. He walked over to Will's tent and yelled, "Hey! Get up!"

"mmm…I couldn't eat another bite….zzzzzzzzzz…"

"Good for you, now get up!"

"Schnnooooorrrr…."

"WAKE UP!"

He jerked upward, and stared at Zack, "Hi." then he fell back into his sleeping bag.

"Will, if you don't get up in three seconds, I'm lighting your tent on fire."

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!"

**Later...**

"What are your buddies like?" Zack asked Will while they walked along the field.

"Well, there's Lex," he replied, scratching his chin while he lit a cigarette. "He's a moogle who has both a crooked smile and personality, but he's fine once you get to know him. Nero, a Bangaa, he's a fierce fighter, fights with his fists too."

"No weapons?"

"just knuckle attachments."

"Wow."

"I know, it takes a lot of courage to punch a dragon, either that or stupidity." He grimaced, "Don't tell him I said that. He loves battle, almost treats it like an art. Deisel, another Moogle, he's the real sarcastic one, thinks he's the best joker that ever lived. Not that impressive, really. Then there's Hazel," his face colored slightly when he said her name, and he said it almost dreamily. Zack grinned deviously, and elbowed him. "So, Romeo, what's she like?"

Will glared at him and said, "she's a viera, a fencer. She's really good at it too. Shut up." He said as Zack chuckled. "Lastly, there's Gallahan, a nu mou, he's our main magic user. Unfortunately, he just started learning magic, hasn't been in Clans long. He's the best we could get though, and he gets the job done."

Cyril wasn't as loud as Baguba, which Zack was thankful for, but it was bustling, nevertheless.

"Come on!" Will started off in the direction of the pub, The Prancing Chocobo. Zack hurried after him, feeling drops of rain hit his face. Will shouldered open the door, letting Zack in, then moved on. Zack, however, held the door open for a bunch of moogles. He waited for a word of thanks, but received none. "Alright then," he grumbled, and let it swing shut. Zack scanned the crowd inside the pub, until his eyes fell upon Will's purple bandana. Slowly, he made his way through the crowd, stepping on a few toes and even running into a few moogle pom poms.

"Hey! Will!" he shouted as he finally made it to the table.

"Zack! There you are! Meet the gang!" One of the moogles stood up on the table to shake his hand.

"Kupopo! The name's Lex."

The Viera raised a hand and waved, "Nice to meet you, I'm Hazel." The other Moogle, Deisel, just smirked.

"Gallahan." The nu mou smiled at him.

The last one, Nero, looked him up and down. "He doesssn't look like much of a fighter."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Oh, come on, Nero," Will complained, exasperated, "after all the trouble I went through to find us one last member."

The bangaa grunted, "I ssssupossse he'll do." The windows lit up as a flash of lightning, then thunder, exploded outside.

"Geez," Will said, craning his neck to look out of the window, "there's a real storm tonight." _no… _Zack thought, _It's more than that…_ the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

So did Gallahan.

"Everyone get down!" everyone in the pub dropped onto their stomach. The mage raised his hand and threw a bolt of lightning, at… Another one! They collided in midair and threw up sparks. Coughing, Zack tried to see around all the people.

Standing in the wreckage of the doorway were six figures, and they were all armed to the teeth.

The cry went up throughout the pub.

"Clan Borzoi!"

**What is it with me and Cliffhangers? I just love them too much, don't I? :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, Here we are again, It's always such a pleasure... okay, skipping that. (reference) Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

The two clans crashed together, as the two spellcasters exchanged bolts. Fire met Thunder, Blade met Blade, and bone met bone. Zack struggled back away from his opponent, a Bangaa swinging a Falchion. He felt the metal clip his side, and the rush of pain, until he leapt forward, and the adrenaline of the battle swept all thought away. He wormed his blade under the Clanner's guard, and slashed upward, scoring a dent in the Warrior's jaw. The Bangaa then took a more practical approach, he tackled Zack, ramming his sword arm against the ground. As he lifted the Blade, a thin rapier sprouted from his chest. His grip loosened, and the rapier struck again. He fell howling. Panting, Zack took Hazel's offered hand, and they both jumped into the fray again.

A bolt of lighting almost fried him where he stood, but Hazel wasn't so lucky, she was thrown bodily into the wall and lay there, smoking. Zack's eyes darted around, finally settling on the Black Mage in the doorway, Gallahan still had his attention. _Now!_ He ran full speed into him, swinging his sword. The mage panicked, clubbing him with a staff, and Zack attacked back with slashes. The heavy staff crashed down on his unprotected head once, twice, and then the mage lay still. Blinking the stars out of his eyes, he turned back to the battle, and was nearly taken out by a knife from a Moogle. Zack swung, but it was as if he was trying to hit air, everywhere he looked, the Moogle was behind him. He was almost stabbed twice, and he was sure that he had lost his wallet already. The little Thief dodged and whirled, leading Zack in a merry dance, and waving his wallet in his face, only to duck away from his sword swings. An idea, mad though it was, formed in Zack's head. He turned, and swung again, but the Thief dodged the singing blade and stuck his knife into Zack's arm. Quick as a snake, he yanked his arm back, tearing the knife out of the Moogle's hand. Pure shock showed on it's face, right up until Zack bashed it with his sword handle. The moogle fell like a furry rock. After obtaining his wallet, he looked back at the fight, but it was already over, Nero hit the last Borzoi right in the face, and he crumpled.

"The winner is Clan Kupo!" announced the Judge, and the judgepoints flew out.

After the Chocobo-rider had disappeared, the bartender walked up to the clan. "Thanks a bundle! You guys are plenty strong! Your food and drinks are on me tonight!"

"And, maybe you'd give us a discount on missions?" Will asked, lighting up one of his cigarettes.

The bartender smiled, "Only one, Will, only one."

"Ah well, good enough."

"Hey, can I pick the mission?" Zack asked eagerly. Nero rolled his eyes, but Will shrugged, "yeah, sure, let's wait till tomorrow, though, I'm beat."

Dinner was scrumptious, and the drink was just as good. When Zack rose from his sleep the next morning, he paused, and took out the Grimoire before going out. There was another page filled in.

_**The commoners had no idea what to make of it, their once great King had supposedly fallen ill and died, and the story that the palace was feeding everyone is that his secret wife and son had come to take the throne. And to make things worse, the queen had imposed laws on the engagements, the newly built prison was filling up fast. Also to make things worse, the palace has said that the old judgemaster resigned, and the job was taken over by the prince's father, Cid Randell. Ivalice was in uproar, and the resistance was rising again. Zack could do nothing but watch the Ivalice he almost knew dissolve.**_

Zack shivered, the last words had almost a chilling tone to them. He put it away and headed downstairs.

When Will finally tramped down the stairs, yawning, Zack walked up to the bartender. "Hey! The hero of the Prancing Chocobo! What can I do for ya?"

"What missions do you have?" Zack asked excitedly, and the bartender pulled up two lists for him. "Dispatch or battle?"

"Battle."

He nodded and put one away. "Here, take a look."

Lex walked up to the counter and tugged his sleeve. "What'd you pick, kupo?"

Zack grinned and handed him the list, "Third one down." Lex searched the list, then grinned back, "Perfect, kupo!"

The sun shifted overhead as Clan Kupo spotted the buildings of Sprohm over the hill.

Some one had come out to meet them, a nervous-looking man with a child by his side. "Oh, thank the gods you're here!" He shook all of their hands, "The Sprohm watch managed to trap them in the church, but we need more help."

"Don't worry," Will said, smiling past his usual cigarette, "monster slaying is good fun; we'll help you out."

The man led them into the town and up to the church. "Good luck!"

Zack took a deep breath, and flung the doors open.

Lex immediately ran in, adrenaline pumping through him, then immediately backed off. The largest Marlboros he'd ever seen had taken the church as their home. Purple slime lay everywhere, transforming the once holy place into a violet sea of gunk. One of the creatures turned, and gurgled a warning to the others. The five monsters began to crawl towards Lex, growling menacingly.

Nero broke the silence by doing only what he would do. Roaring, he leapt onto the largest one and stuck his fist into an eyeball. At that, the scene dissolved into chaos. As usual, Lex backed off a little and stood beside his brother, opening his Animist pouch. Deisel flipped a knife in his hand, then threw it, slicing off a tentacle that was strangling Nero. He dropped to the ground, wheezing, but Gallahan ran up to him and touched his palm to Nero's throat. The Bangaa straightened, patted Gallahan on the back, and ran roaring into battle again. Lex reached in his pouch and pulled out a sheep doll. He rang his bell, and the sheep grew and charged toward the monsters. It smashed into one, knocking it over. Will gave Lex the thumbs up, and proceeded to cut off all of it's tentacles from below. He raised the bell over his head, and it chimed twice. The sheep let out a mournful _baaah_ and began to float around the Marlboros, all the while dropping a sparkling dust. Two of the creatures blinked, a ripple of movement, then slumped, sound asleep.

"There you go, kupo!" Lex said to the rest, "Rip em to shreds!"

Gallahan summoned up a large fireball, larger than the others, and shot it toward the sleeping figures, then Nero swung, and a ripple of air collided with them. One of them crumpled like an accordion, dead. Finally Hazel swung her rapier, and a purple blast of energy blew the other one apart. Gallahan turned to Lex, smiling happily."Lex, we-""Don't turn your back, kupo!" Deisel yelled, breaking into a run.

He was too late, far too late. With an awful snap, the Nu Mou disappeared into a gaping maw.

Suddenly, things began to go wrong. Lex's sheep was torn out of the air and gulped down. He winced as the teeth gnashed. "There goes my sheep. No more sleeping for these guys. You're gonna have to do it the hard way." Next, Will, on his forward rush, got clubbed from behind and fell unconscious. They were two men and a sheep down, and they had no healer. Zack dragged Will's body back to where Lex and Deisel were operating, and ran back in.

"Outstanding." Deisel grumbled, hurling another knife. It missed, and hit a pillar in the middle of the room. Lex rummaged through his bag, but stopped. "Damn!" he swore, "I forgot to restock after our last battle! I only have this one!" He pulled out a small box. "This will only make things worse though…" Nero crashed into the slime behind him as he spoke, bleeding in several places and out like a light. Lex looked back at the Marlboros, and saw one of them barf on Zack. Immediately, he began to shrink, vomiting as he did so, and feeling his way around, as if he no longer could… "Oh my Famfrit…" Lex breathed. A vomiting, blind toad lay on the floor where Zack had stood before. There were still two monsters left standing

"Lex!" Deisel snapped, "Use the Box! Now!"

He raised it over his head, and tentatively rang his bell. Light flashed, and the charging Marlboros fell back, screaming.

The box shattered, and a huge red form landed on the goop that covered the floor, fire streaming from it's roaring mouth. The slime ignited into a bonfire, burning everything it touched, including the Marlboros. They screamed, and shriveled, their corpses burning along with everything else. Fear had frozen Lex's feet to the ground, and he stared at the destruction with wide open eyes. "Come on, you idiot! MOVE, KUPO!"

_Move! Move! MOVE!_

In one giant sweep, Lex took the pouch from his side, ran and jumped toward the firewyrm. The pouch expanded, until he was holding a giant bag. With one final flap of his wings, he pulled the bag over the dragon. The fire disappeared, and all traces of monster inhabitance were gone. Except for one thing. A small dragon doll lying on the floor.

"The winner is Clan Kupo!" said the judge, "All wounded or dead fighters will be revived."

The moment Nero regained consciousness, he began badgering the newly alive Gallahan. "What the hell were you thinking? Did you not ssee that there were five! What in the name of Adrammelech went through your mind?" Gallahan hung his head, but Will interjected, "Come on, give him a break. If you just came back to life, you wouldn't want me yelling at you, would you?" Nero stumped off, muttering about how the other races had no discipline.

Lex walked over to Zack, and asked, "Hey, you alright, kupo?"

"Y-yeah, I sh-should be fine…" He said, and then immediately keeled over and vomited. "It's just not easy… b-being a toad."

**I just had to end it on that line, I just had to... R&R please! :333**


End file.
